Gilbert Gottfried, the actor and legendary standup comic known for his raw, scorched voice and crude jokes, has died. He was 67.
Gottfried died from recurrent ventricular tachycardia due to myotonic dystrophy type II, a disorder that affects the heart, his publicist and longtime friend Glenn Schwartz said in a statement.
His family shared the sad news Tuesday on his Twitter account.
We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long illness, they said.
In addition to being the most iconic voice in comedy, Gilbert was a wonderful husband, brother, friend and father to his two young children. Although today is a sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible in Gilberts honor.
Gottfried was a fiercely independent and intentionally bizarre comedians comedian, as likely to clear a room with anti-comedy as he was to kill with his jokes.
He first came to national attention with frequent appearances on MTV in its early days and with a brief stint in the cast of Saturday Night Live in the 1980s.
Gottfried also did frequent voice work for childrens television and movies, most famously playing the parrot Iago in Disneys Aladdin.
Many paid tribute to the comedian on Tuesday.